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Monday, March 9, 2009

A predator on the loose

Cancrime first introduced pedophile Walter Jacobson (inset) in December 2008 [first post]. Below you'll find a decade of decisions by parole authorities who struggled to control this persistent child predator when the courts failed to brand him a dangerous offender - a decision that could have kept him locked up indefinitely. Jacobson, who preyed on hundreds of children and who amassed dozens of convictions in a 40-year crime spree has been free from prison since 2005. The National Parole Board and the Correctional Service of Canada no longer have any control over him. Jacobson never killed, mutilated or maimed his victims. That's one of the reasons he wasn't locked up forever, despite the monstrous amount of psychological damage he inflicted. You'll discover in the parole documents that Jacobson once admitted that there were victims for which he was never charged or convicted.

These records represent six different parole hearings, beginning in July 1995, when the board noted his "overwhelming history of deviant sexual offending," and ordered him kept in prison as long as possible. Jacobson turns 67 on May 8.

Sunday, December 21, 2008

A pedophile's pedigree

Here's a rare glimpse into a confidential criminal record of a frightening pedophile, Walter Jacobson (pictured). He has been relentless throughout his criminal career in hunting victims and he is persistent; preying on young girls for decades, unlike many predators whose beastly appetite wanes with age. Jacobson shows no signs of stopping. His adult criminal record begins in 1964. The document below, exclusive at Cancrime, inventories his first three decades of criminal exploits. Criminal records are considered highly confidential and are maintained by the RCMP. The record shows place and date of convictions and cases in which charges against him were dropped. I've been tracking Jacobson for more than a decade. Here's the last story I wrote about him at the Kingston Whig-Standard. Check back for more on Jacobson in future.

Cancrime is Rob Tripp's blog about Canadian crime and justice and a repository of documents – parole records, investigation reports, confidential memos. I'm a pack-rat investigative reporter with 20 years experience writing about crime and justice and an urge to share. Cancrime's breeding ground is Kingston, Ontario, Canada's prison capital, home to seven federal penitentiaries and The Kingston Whig-Standard, Canada's oldest daily newspaper, where I'm the crime writer.